Chapter 3 of In the Days of the Comet is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of In the Days of the Comet is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She was standing near me. “To please _me_,” she urged, in a quick undertone, and with a persuasive look that puzzled me. Even in the moment I asked myself why should this please her? I might have agreed had she not followed that up with, “The hollies by the shrubbery are as dark as pitch. And there’s the deer-hounds.”
Chapter 3 of In the Days of the Comet is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading “I might have agreed had she not followed that up with, “The hollies by the shrubbery are as dark as pitch.”
plural of “holly” — any tree or shrub of the genus Ilex having red berries and shiny evergreen leaves with prickly edges
From this reading “I might have agreed had she not followed that up with, “The hollies by the shrubbery are as dark as pitch.”
intended or having the power to induce action or belief
From this reading ““To please _me_,” she urged, in a quick undertone, and with a persuasive look that puzzled me.”
the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
From this reading “I might have agreed had she not followed that up with, “The hollies by the shrubbery are as dark as pitch.”
filled with bewilderment
From this reading ““To please _me_,” she urged, in a quick undertone, and with a persuasive look that puzzled me.”
an area where a number of shrubs are planted
From this reading “I might have agreed had she not followed that up with, “The hollies by the shrubbery are as dark as pitch.”
a quiet or hushed tone of voice
From this reading ““To please _me_,” she urged, in a quick undertone, and with a persuasive look that puzzled me.”
past form of “urge” — force or impel in an indicated direction
From this reading ““To please _me_,” she urged, in a quick undertone, and with a persuasive look that puzzled me.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “To please _me_,” she urged, in a quick undertone, and with a persuasive look that puzzled me.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading I might have agreed had she not followed that up with, “The hollies by the shrubbery are as dark as pitch.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “To please _me_,” she urged, in a quick undertone, and with a persuasive look that puzzled me.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading I might have agreed had she not followed that up with, “The hollies by the shrubbery are as dark as pitch.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I might have agreed had she not followed that up with, “The hollies by the shrubbery are as dark as pitch.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Even in the moment I asked myself why should this please her?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I might have agreed had she not followed that up with, “The hollies by the shrubbery are as dark as pitch.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading I might have agreed had she not followed that up with, “The hollies by the shrubbery are as dark as pitch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And there’s the deer-hounds.”
divisible by two
From this reading Even in the moment I asked myself why should this please her?
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading I might have agreed had she not followed that up with, “The hollies by the shrubbery are as dark as pitch.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I might have agreed had she not followed that up with, “The hollies by the shrubbery are as dark as pitch.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I might have agreed had she not followed that up with, “The hollies by the shrubbery are as dark as pitch.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Even in the moment I asked myself why should this please her?
plural of “holly” — any tree or shrub of the genus Ilex having red berries and shiny evergreen leaves with prickly edges
From this reading I might have agreed had she not followed that up with, “The hollies by the shrubbery are as dark as pitch.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Even in the moment I asked myself why should this please her?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “To please _me_,” she urged, in a quick undertone, and with a persuasive look that puzzled me.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “To please _me_,” she urged, in a quick undertone, and with a persuasive look that puzzled me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She was standing near me.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading I might have agreed had she not followed that up with, “The hollies by the shrubbery are as dark as pitch.
a particular point in time
From this reading Even in the moment I asked myself why should this please her?
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading Even in the moment I asked myself why should this please her?
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading She was standing near me.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I might have agreed had she not followed that up with, “The hollies by the shrubbery are as dark as pitch.
intended or having the power to induce action or belief
From this reading “To please _me_,” she urged, in a quick undertone, and with a persuasive look that puzzled me.
the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
From this reading I might have agreed had she not followed that up with, “The hollies by the shrubbery are as dark as pitch.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “To please _me_,” she urged, in a quick undertone, and with a persuasive look that puzzled me.
filled with bewilderment
From this reading “To please _me_,” she urged, in a quick undertone, and with a persuasive look that puzzled me.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading “To please _me_,” she urged, in a quick undertone, and with a persuasive look that puzzled me.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was standing near me.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Even in the moment I asked myself why should this please her?
an area where a number of shrubs are planted
From this reading I might have agreed had she not followed that up with, “The hollies by the shrubbery are as dark as pitch.
having a supporting base
From this reading She was standing near me.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “To please _me_,” she urged, in a quick undertone, and with a persuasive look that puzzled me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Even in the moment I asked myself why should this please her?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And there’s the deer-hounds.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Even in the moment I asked myself why should this please her?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “To please _me_,” she urged, in a quick undertone, and with a persuasive look that puzzled me.
a quiet or hushed tone of voice
From this reading “To please _me_,” she urged, in a quick undertone, and with a persuasive look that puzzled me.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I might have agreed had she not followed that up with, “The hollies by the shrubbery are as dark as pitch.
past form of “urge” — force or impel in an indicated direction
From this reading “To please _me_,” she urged, in a quick undertone, and with a persuasive look that puzzled me.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was standing near me.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Even in the moment I asked myself why should this please her?
in the company of; together with
From this reading “To please _me_,” she urged, in a quick undertone, and with a persuasive look that puzzled me.
Chapter 3 of In the Days of the Comet by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells holds 422 sentences, grouped into 85 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 3 holds 422 sentences of In the Days of the Comet, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of In the Days of the Comet by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 sentences, grouped into 85 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 3 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading In the Days of the Comet by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5079 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3797 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3797, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 423 minutes of reading across 1016 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through In the Days of the Comet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of In the Days of the Comet to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in In the Days of the Comet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
